This is why you never grade signings in hindsight, just the process that led to them. If the Jays in 2021 had gone deep like they could have, the signing looks a lot better. But it doesnt change the reality that as soon as the ink was dry they knew the last few years were going to be s***. They all knew it was a possibility. It may be happening faster than they thought...or his decline might be steeper, but they knew going in.
Same thing every team knows about all the longer term contracts, they all turn to s*** at some point.
So, a team really only had 2 choices...sign big name FAs when you can to improve your team on the short term amd live with the fallout, or...never sign big name FAs.
There's not very many franchises that have consistently ran deep in the playoffs for long periods of time without signing them though. Low spending teams can still pop up every once in a while, but they never sustain it long term. Even the Rays magic well has been running dry.